Our Opinion: Housing solutions

Westgate Community will address critical need

For the past month or so, many in this community have been following developments involving The Shelter, the downtown operation that for decades has housed the homeless and those seeking transitional housing.

While examination of The Shelter's operations following serious allegations is important, it shouldn't be lost on this community that there are great challenges faced by those people who work tirelessly to find solutions for those in need of transitional housing.

For some, The Shelter has served that role. But The Shelter was designed to provide emergency shelter, not long-term housing. In the past few years, steps have been taken to address this issue, such as the renovation of once-abandoned complexes that now house veterans.

The need for affordable housing has long been discussed in Tallahassee, and some needs are being met.

Today, we will see another breakthrough in creating housing for what many call our "most vulnerable" with groundbreaking for the Westgate Community residential campus on Blountstown Street, between West Tharpe and Tennessee streets.

The Westgate campus will have 14 buildings, 13 of them serving as residential units. They are being built through the efforts of Tallahassee businessman Rick Kearney and the Beatitude Foundation, along with a partnership of volunteers, social service agencies and the state's Department of Children and Families.

The 13 buildings will include up to 10 bedrooms each, providing housing opportunities for those making the transition from homelessness, but also for seniors on fixed incomes, young adults aging out of foster care and others who qualify based on income.

A separate building will be dedicated to providing essential services to residents, much in the same way that the Renaissance Community Center is serving homeless residents in downtown Tallahassee. That project also was spearheaded by Mr. Kearney and other volunteers.

"It is a collaborative effort in part of many organizations to offer a collective solution to our community's housing needs, particularly the homeless," said Chuck White, a veteran real estate developer who volunteers as Westgate's project manager. "The goal is to provide low-cost housing in a safe and secure environment to those who are most vulnerable."

What Westgate represents is what can be accomplished through a public/private partnership. Mr. Kearney's Beatitude Foundation provided $1.1 million in seed money to buy the land and help construct the first building. Assisting with providing services will be DCF and a host of social service organizations.

Mr. Kearney, Mr. White and others involved in the west-side project are to be commended to taking such steps to address one of this community's growing needs.

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Our Opinion: Housing solutions

For the past month or so, many in this community have been following developments involving The Shelter, the downtown operation that for decades has housed the homeless and those seeking transitional